


Where Future Lies

by immortalbanner



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bruce Banner Needs a Hug, Bruce Banner-centric, M/M, Post-Avengers (2012), author is self indulgent, author just really loves betty rick and jen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-11 01:49:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20538188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/immortalbanner/pseuds/immortalbanner
Summary: Bruce has only been back in New York for a few days, finding a lot of struggle with his past and what could lie ahead.





	Where Future Lies

**Author's Note:**

> This is less of a shippy thing, though there is romance, and more of Bruce facing his past. I pulled a lot from the comics as well.

Bruce looked around the apartment Tony had directed to him after he de-Hulked and had been informed that they had won the battle. He was still getting settled in and getting used to the idea of calling the apartment his home.

Nothing felt like his yet. Not the furniture, not the room, not the building. Not even the food in the fridge. He had yet to find out what truely feeling at home felt like. He only knew that he wasn’t feeling it quite yet.

He wouldn’t lie and say it wasn’t nice to have a real bed again. After the destruction the Other Guy would cause, he had wanted to give back to the world. He found a way to use his medical background after not using it for so long. It did help with his conscious but it wasn’t a permanent feeling. Not when he knew it could easily go away.

He didn’t think the Other Guy could be used for any good. That was before he knew about Norse Gods. He missed the days he thought he was the strangest thing in the universe.

He washed his face to get off the remains of the shaving cream and stared at himself in the mirror. The dark bags under his eyes were prominent and there was still sweat pricking the back of his neck. It was normal to slowly recover from incidents. It always took a toll on him and his body. He hadn’t done much research on what exactly changing his form took on his body. That would involve voluntarily letting the other Guy out and that wasn’t a risk he was willing to take.

He stepped back into the main room that worked as a living room. His room was less of a room and more of an apartment. He had everything he needed and it worked great as a way to only leave when he actually had to.

He heard a soft knock at his door. He turned and looked at it for a moment. He tried to figure out who it could be. He figured it was likely just Tony seeing how he was.

He opened the door and to his surprise, it wasn’t Tony.

Thor was looking at him with an incredibly soft smile. “Settling in well?” he asked.

Thor was a weird anomaly to him. He looked like a warrior, it radiated off of him. Yet he was still someone you felt comforted by the presence of.

He’d forgone his armour for sweatpants and a hoodie. Even without the armour, he stood strong and powerful.

“I guess,” he said. He opened his door wider. “Did you want to come in?”

“If you’d allow me.”

He was smiling. There was something so endearing about him. His accent, his cluelessness about most earth things, how formal he tended to be. He wasn’t like anyone Bruce had ever met.

He stepped aside and allowed him in. He stepped through the door and Bruce slowly closed the door.

“You fought well,” Thor said, standing by the couch.

He felt his stomach sink. He knew he was only trying to compliment him. He was from a world of warriors, that was probably the highest of praises to him.

“I… thanks.” He was too exhausted to try to string together words of why the Other Guy wasn’t him and he wasn’t the one who’d fought. Explaining it was always difficult because he more so saw the Other Guy as a leech who took over his body, all control lost.

“How are you taking to earth?” he asked.

“It’s strange. I’ve been on other planets but Midgard is one I’ve only ventured to once before.” His voice was so soothing, and he seemed to always amplify it with a smile.

He smiled back at him. “When were you going back to Asgard?”

“I may stay for a while. I may go back sometime soon however. In case my brother tries to escape or there are any other complications.” His tone sounded strained. Bruce had to wonder what it was like having to fight your sibling in something as extreme as what Loki had done. The idea of knowing a family member was capable of horrible things would be hard on anybody. He knew that all too well.

He nodded and looked towards the liquor cabinet Tony kept in there. When he’d asked him about it, he’d told him he could take as much as he liked, that was what it was there for. He never drank more than wine or light beer, he was always worried the Other Guy would use his intoxication to come out.

“Did you want a drink? Alcohol?”

Thor’s smile came back. “Maybe nothing too strong.”

He got out a bottle of wine and poured both of them a glass. There were no wine glasses, so he used the regular ones that were stored away.

He went to sit on the couch where Thor had settled. He gave him his glass and took a sip of his own.

“Might I ask,” Thor asked, leaning forward in his lap. “You don’t have to respond but I was wondering; how exactly did you become what you are? Were you born with it.” When he was silent for a moment too long, he gave him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, was that invasive?”

He bit the inside of his cheek. “No, it’s fine.” He downed the rest of his wine, letting it settle his nerves. He hadn’t poured so much that it would be difficult to drink as quickly as he did.

“Gamma radiation. That’s what the Other Guy is made up of. There was this… situation that came out of me helping the military try to recreate the serum Cap had been pumped with. I thought it was gamma radiation, turns out it wasn’t. I should’ve died, I don’t know how I made it. I don’t know if there was something wrong with me and my body to absorb it and trigger the Other Guy. But that’s basically it.” With all the years his father called him a mutant, a monster, he had to wonder if he was somehow responsible. It was too late for those answers.

“I’m not exactly sure what gamma radiation is, however if it was something you survived, do you not think there was a reason greater?”

As he poured himself another glass of wine he shook his head. “I don’t believe in destiny.”

“I do. And I think there was a reason you are as you are now. I think you were meant to do good in the world and this is how.”

He stared at his glass. Even if he wasn’t buying it, it did make him feel better. “Thanks.”

Thor gave him a smile and drank the rest of his wine. “I will go back to my own bedchambers, I will see you tomorrow?”

He shook his head. “No, I’m actually leaving early tomorrow for Virginia. It’s a long drive.”

Thor’s face fell slightly before he nodded. “Okay, I will see you when you return.”

He felt his heart thump in his chest. He was smiling at him sweetly again. It wasn’t lost on him that Thor was more than a little attractive. That smile did no good for the part of his brain that melted at the sight of attractive people.

He pushed the thought from his mind. “Cool. You done with that?” He gestured to the now empty glass.

Thor nodded and handed it to him. He stood up. “Sleep well, Banner.” He watched him leave his room, shoulder straight and strong.

The room quickly felt empty when the door closed behind him.

* * *

Bruce can’t say Culver University had changed much in his absence. Other than the repairs of the glass hallway/bridge the Other Guy had destroyed two years prior.

He drove up to Virginia in one of Tony’s cars. Or more so it drove him there. Tony’s cars had a very obvious shape and an obnoxious TS as its symbol, making his goal at arriving with a low profile considerably difficult. It also didn’t help it was cherry red. It did attract a few glances but it was his only option.

Hopefully once he was walking on campus he could actually go into incognito mode. He wasn’t sure how many people would recognise him if they got a good look at him. Although he wasn’t sure how well known he was among current students and new faculty.

He still remembered where Betty’s office was. After years of going there to eat his lunch with her or when there was more time between his lectures. He spent more time there than in his own office.

The walk was a little long from where he’d parked. He’d forgotten how difficult it was to find parking without a staff pass.

He’d always found comfort in the STEM building. He felt the same when he was in college himself. Being around likeminded people was a nice change from when he’d been used to keeping to himself in high school.

He walked down the hallway, keeping the hood of his sweatshirt up. As far as he could tell, no one seemed to recognise him. No one even bothered to really look his way. He held onto the privilege of anonymity because something told him it wasn’t going to last forever. His face was already all over the news, his name was known to the public on a higher scale.

He finally arrived at her office. The door was closed and he softly knocked on it. He waited a few moments, trying to listen for any movement inside that would point to her being inside.

“Can I help you?”

He turned his head to see a woman he didn’t recognise. She seemed to be around his age. “Yes. I’m looking for Professor Ross?”

“Does she know you’re coming in?”

“No, I’m an old friend. Thought I’d drop by.” He wasn’t sure if he could call it ‘dropping by’ when he’d spent the last several hours driving. It’d seemed like a good idea at the time and he was already regretting it.

“Oh, well she’s still at her lecture. It ends in about fifteen minutes and then she’ll usually have lunch here. You can just wait in the main area.”

He gave a weak smile. “Thanks.”

While he waited, he got a drink of water from a water cooler. The small area had a few tables and was near a coffee kiosk. He remembered kids would usually come here for lunch. It worked for that, away from crowds and close to classes.

He glanced up at the TV and his stomach dropped.

The same news report seemed to have been playing on repeat. He wasn’t necessarily surprised. The attack on New York had made international news. People weren’t going to take super heroes or alien life lightly.

It was still weird to see the Other Guy on the news. It made it more real, it made himself feel like an even bigger threat. Even if he saw it doing good, he was reminded of the destruction it had caused in this very building.

“What do you think of that?”

He almost jumped when he saw the woman from before was talking to him. He turned to her. “I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Doesn’t seem real.”

“Apparently the green guy used to work here.”

He feigned a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“This was before I started here. I think he was a biochemist professor or something. I don’t know what happened but a lot of the faculty knew him and saw him turn into that thing.”

He looked back at the TV. The news seemed to be questioning their ability of protecting New York as they showed clips of all of them fighting. Most of the focus seemed to be on him.

He heard the sound to footstep. When he glanced towards her he saw she was on her phone, tapping away.

She walked right passed them and he tried to get her attention but the words caught in his throat.

As she opened the door, he found his voice.

“Betty.”

She looked up from her phone and slowly towards him. Her mouth gaped open as she stared at him. “Bruce?”

He stepped forward and bit his lip. “Hi.”

He watched her swallow before she spoke. “Office. Now.”

He nodded and followed her in. He looked around her office, seeing it was mostly the same. The decor was almost identical but he didn’t miss how photos of them together were gone.

When he heard the door close he turned back to her.

“Hi.”

Her expression had softened as she looked at him. “Hi.”

He wasn’t sure what he’d expected by coming here. Did he think she’d run into his arms and kiss him? He wasn’t sure. He had the small twinge of hope it would happen.

“I saw you on the news. I thought you were…” she trailed off. He had never told her exactly where he was. He didn’t want to risk her safety. All the words she would really have was ‘gone’.

“I was. I kind of got recruited into it because I know gamma best.” Ironic that the person who knew it best was the one who could turn into a monster made of it. He had to wonder if the Other Guy never came if he would’ve still been recruited but only as the scientist he was, not the fighter every seemed to want him to be.

“Oh. So you only just got back?”

He nodded. “I did.”

He watched her take a deep breath. She moved from the door and sat behind her desk. He followed, sitting in the chair across from her. He was still gripping his cup of water, taking a sip of it as an attempt to calm his nerves.

“It’s good to see you,” she finally said.

“You too. I know I should’ve called but I don’t actually have a phone. And I wasn’t sure if you had a new number or anything.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m glad you came, it’s a nice surprise.” She cleared her throat. “I thought you were still in New York.”

He nodded. “Yeah, that’s a fair assumption.”

“It looks like you’ve learnt to control it.”

“More or less.” It had taken him too long to learn that to control not turning into the Other Guy, he had to learn how to control when he did.

She cleared her throat. “I only have like, half an hour until my next lecture. I was going to the café to get a sandwich. Do you want to come?”

He smiled. “Yeah. That’ll be great.”

They walked there in silence. He’d pushed his hood down, only half hopeful that people wouldn’t recognise him and know who was. His identity was public and his picture had made it to every news outlet, usually put next to the Other Guys’s. He had to hope his face was generic enough for it to not be recognisable. Maybe he should grow a beard, he had a boyfriend who once said he looked like a different person with one.

They got to the café. It was the same one they went to together every morning for a coffee before their lectures. It was where they had their first almost-date. He’d asked her to get lunch with her and they’d split a sandwich.

“I’ve missed this place.”

She smiled at him. “A lot of memories for sure.”

They smiled at each other. If he had the nerve, he’d brush his hand against hers to at least test the waters if there could be a them again. He knew it was probably inappropriate, they should at least talk about where they stood before he attempted anything.

“Were you staying in Virginia?” she asked after they got their lunch and coffee and walked back onto the campus.

“Yeah. Until tomorrow” He’d booked a hotel for the night. It was a long drive back and maybe if he was lucky they’d be able to spend more time together.

She smiled at him again. He’d almost forgotten how beautiful her smile was. She opened her mouth to say something but she looked passed him. “Hey, Glenn!”

He felt his stomach drop. He looked to where she was looking. A man was walking towards them, and Bruce didn’t miss how he was grinning at Betty.

“Hey Bett,” he said and easily lung his arm over her shoulder. “Getting lunch?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Was just talking to Bruce here.”

Glenn looked at him and gave him a smile. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too.” He didn’t need to be told this was her boyfriend. He felt his stomach sink and felt beyond embarrassed.

He was raising his brow at him. “I feel like I’ve seen your face before.”

“He’s an old friend, you might’ve seen his picture or something,” Betty easily cut in.

He was silently grateful she didn’t outright say who he was. But there was an overwhelming rush of dread when he’d realised she didn’t use the term ‘ex-boyfriend’. He wasn’t about to be the one to tell him if she didn’t want him to know.

“Yeah. That’s probably it,” Bruce nodded.

He shook his head. “No, I feel like it was somewhere else.”

He gave a shrug. “Couldn’t tell you.”

“Okay, well, my lunch break is almost over. I’ll see you at home, babe.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek before continuing down the path.

“So, boyfriend?” he asked, putting on the best smile he could.

Guilt washed over her face. “Fiancé. I should’ve mentioned that.”

He swallowed. “It’s fine. You didn’t have to.” And he felt like he should’ve known better. Of course Betty wasn’t going to sit around, waiting for him to return. If he ever did.

“I’m happy for you,” he said. Even if it felt like a knife to his stomach, he was happy for her at the end of the day. It was just his feelings deciding to act out. “He seems great.”

“He is…” she trailed off and stared at the ground.

“I’m sorry,” he blurted out. “For… leaving without notice. For being a shitty boyfriend.”

She looked back at him. “I think it’s fair to say that it’s a pretty exceptional circumstance.”

“Yeah.” His voice cracked as he breathed the word out.

It wasn’t like he’d expected her to wait around for him to return again. He was surprised he’d gotten her after the first five years. Maybe he held out some hope two more wouldn’t make a difference.

He’d never had the chance to move on. He’d focussed on helping people, not trying to form any relationships. He didn’t even try to form friendships. He’d spent years scared he’d just hurt everyone close to him. He was still scared of that. As far as he knew, the only person who had survived the Other Guy was Thor. Knowing it took being a Norse God to survive it wasn’t the most comforting thing in the world.

“I gotta get going anyway, you’ve got your lecture.”

“Right,” she bit her lip. “Can I give you my email?”

He nodded and she wrote it on a spare piece of paper.

He walked back in to the car, almost at a speed walk. He put his hood back up and avoided eye contact, almost crashing into bystanders more than once.

He sat in the car, trying to get control of his breathing, his lip quivering as he felt pressure on his eyes.

What was he thinking? He drove over six hours to be here and he really thought Betty wouldn’t had moved on. Of course she would, he would too. He never gave her a reason to hold onto him and he wouldn’t want her to.

Even with all that, his emotions couldn’t and wouldn’t listen. Tears fell down his face as he leaned over the steering wheel.

He had never been a person who was into causal dating. He was in his 40’s and could count all of his relationships on one hand. He’d always been the kind of person who preferred relationships that felt like they’d meant something. Here he was, forty-three, realising that his chance of finding a partner was probably never going to happen.

He couldn’t even pin it on his age entirely, he knew no one was going to love him when the Other Guy was around. No matter how much he tried to control it, he hurt people. He hurt people he loved. That was all he was capable of. He’d put Betty through more than enough physical and emotional pain. Maybe if the Other Guy didn’t come they’d be married, maybe have a kid or two.

He was starting to realise he’d never have that. Who would ever want a monster?

* * *

Instead of going to his hotel, he went straight back to New York.

Bruce let himself rest as the car did the driving. Apparently Tony was the leader in self driving cars or something. He wasn’t sure. He just knew it was safe so he’d closed his eyes and let himself relax all the way. The car had a mini TV like on a plane so he chose a random TV show and watched it to get his mind off of the day.

It may not be home but seeing Stark Tower felt like he was close. He wasn’t sure how long he was welcome to stay there, and he was pretty sure Tony would leave for his home in Malibu eventually. He wasn’t sure where that left him. He couldn’t afford to live in New York City and he wasn’t sure if he could go back to hiding in plain sight anymore.

“Back already?” Tony asked as he rushed through the main living area. He was sat on the couch and looking at him up from his tablet. “I thought you were staying overnight.”

He’d done all of his crying in the car and had warn himself out about three hours ago. By now, he’d recovered and looked relatively calm.

Tony wasn’t exactly the kind of person he wanted to talk about this with. They still barely knew each other. “Thing didn’t go as planned.”

“Oh. That sucks.”

He shrugged and continued his way back to his room.

“The god, he was asking about you.”

He stopped in his tracks and looked back at him. “Asking about me how?”

“When you’d be back, that’s all. You two already best buddies then?”

“No? We talked a little last night. I think the Other Guy just intrigues him since it’s something on earth that can take him in a fight.”

Tony raised a brow at him. “Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Refer to the Hulk as ‘it’ or ‘the Other Guy’.”

He opened his mouth but he wasn’t sure what to say. The Other Guy wasn’t him and it was always a thing to him. Calling it anything else almost made it… more real. It was like saying it was him. If he’d done the good stuff in New York, he’d done that bad stuff too.

“Don’t worry about it,” he waved off and he made his way to the lift so he could go up to his room and forget the day had ever happened.

Before he made it to the lift, he heard someone clear their throat behind him. He saw Thor standing behind him. Bruce guessed he’d been sitting in the sitting area adjacent.

“How was your day?” he asked, giving him the kindest smile he’d ever seen. It was exactly what he needed after today.

“To be frank? Shit. My ex-girlfriend is engaged.” His voice was hollow as he stared at the ground. Saying it aloud for the first made his chest tighten.

That made Thor’s smile turn into a look of sympathy. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

He shrugged. “I’ll get over it.” He wasn’t sure how long it would take but he knew he eventually would. He partially already was, the reality of it all was what hurt him most.

“She’s who I went to see today. I don’t know what I thought was going to happen.” He had been lucky to get his first second chance. Maybe this felt so crushing because he was at blame for leaving New York and her without word. He couldn’t even begin to blame her.

“Do you want company?” Thor asked, tilting his head to the side.

He thought about it for a moment. It would be nice to be around someone who wasn’t scared he was going to Hulk at any moment.

He still wasn’t sure if he was ready to let people get close to him. Even with his new control over Hulk, most of the time at least, he didn’t want someone to get so close that he hurt them. He’d ruined enough lives, he didn’t want to ruined even more.

“I think I just need to be one my own,” he finally said. “Another time.”

Thor nodded. “Okay. Come to my room if you need anything.”

He gave him a small smile. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

* * *

Bruce waked into the small music café scanning the area for Rick.

He hadn’t necessarily planned on going to see Rick. He hadn’t known he’d moved to New York until he’d gotten an email from him asking him to meet up with him.

He hadn’t seen Rick since he’d first went into hiding from the army. He’d been an intern during the whole process of trying to recreate the super soldier serum, and seemed to have taken a liking to Bruce. Mostly because he was an orphan and was probably desperate for some sort of parental figure. He wouldn’t call himself Rick’s best choice but it seemed like he didn’t have a say in the matter.

He saw a boy stand up and wave him over. It took him a moment to realise it was Rick. “Doc, over here!”

He walked towards him and let him pull in a half hug. “Hey, Rick. It’s good to see you.”

It was the truth. He’d always had a weird amount of affection for Rick. Maybe if he hadn’t only had a bad perception of fatherhood after his own, he would’ve have had an easier time shifting into a father figure role.

“You too! It’s been too long.” He said it like they had been inconvenienced by work and not the reality of it all.

He got his own coffee before sitting with Rick. The café had a small stage in perfect view for people to watch. No one was currently up there.

“This place is nice. Have you played here?” Bruce asked.

He nodded. “Yeah. Not my day job though. I work at this musical program for kids.”

He smiled. “That’s nice. I’m sure you’ll make it further one day.”

“Hopefully. That’d be nice. My band is trying at least.” He took a gulp of his coffee. “I saw you on the news.”

He felt his shoulders tense. He stared down at his coffee. “Uh, yeah. That was a big thing.”

“Big? More like huge! There’s footage of you fighting and it’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”

He had stray memories of Rick getting along with the Other Guy. He wasn’t sure how he’d had done it. Maybe his own affection for Rick made an impact on the Other Guy, just like it had with Betty.

“What are the other Avengers like?” Rick went on. “Mostly Stark. Or Thor! I can’t believe Norse gods are like, a real thing.”

He cleared his throat. “They’re all… fine. I haven’t known them for that long. I guess Tony’s nice. I haven’t had someone who understands me when I talk about science stuff in a long time. Thor is… hard to explain.” Thor’s presence was its own experience. With how he’d been acting around him the last couple of days too, he didn’t really know how to even begin to describe him.

“He’s a whole personality,” Bruce settled on. “He’s also pretty impressed by the Other Guy. He likes how it can take him in a fight.”

“Okay but how do you get on with him?”

“I… I think he wants to be friends. It’s weird, really. Considering he’s a god and all.”

He tilted his head to the side. “Is it really that surprising?”

He wasn’t really sure. He was starting to see Thor as less of a god and more as a person. He’d only known him for a few days and he found Thor didn’t try to carry himself as being better than anyone else on the team.

He liked him. He liked that he seemed concerned about him. He liked that he didn’t see a monster when he saw him. He liked having the closest thing to a friend, especially when that he was at least 85 per cent confident he wouldn’t accidentally kill.

“I don’t know. It’s nice to have friends again, I guess. And the Other Guy didn’t scare him off.”

He was still getting over the fact that he might even like the Other Guy. Even if only for the power it held.

He finished off the rest of his coffee and stood up. “I’m sure you have a busy day.”

Rick frowned. “Okay. Make sure to email me for my number when you get a phone.”

He smiled. “I won’t forget.”

* * *

If he’d gotten his information correct, Jen should be stepping out of the court house any second.

He hadn’t seen Jen in years. Before the Other Guy had even showed up. She was the only family he’d had left and one of the few he’d actually gotten along with.

He saw Jen walk out the doors alone, holding a briefcase and staring down at her phone.

“Jen!” he called when she was within earshot.

She looked towards him and her jaw dropped. “Bruce? What the hell?”

“Good to see you too,” he smiled at her before she stepped forward and hugged him, her briefcase hitting his back lightly.

“What the hell, I haven’t seen you in… seven years, right?” she said as she stepped away. “You can’t just disappear then show up on the news it’s not fair.”

He smiled. “You saw that?” He’d assumed there were few people who hadn’t but it was still weird to him that people were seeing him on the news. He’d been pulled into interviews with the rest of the team. He’d been conflicted about letting people put a face to the Other Guy but somehow Tony had convinced him it would do good by people seeing the Other Guy was more than some monster.

She nodded. “Everyone at my office is talking about it. Bragged a little about how you’re my cousin.”

He smiled at her. “You say that like I was Tony.”

She tilted her head to the side. “Want to walk? I don’t have anywhere to be.”

He smiled and nodded, and they turned, easily walking in the same pace.

“Really though, the news won’t stop talking about it. I don’t think anyone was ready for aliens. Or whatever those guys were.”

He smiled and laughed. “Yeah, Norse gods. I don’t know what to think of it either.”

“Speaking of, is that one guy’s hammer really impossible to lift?”

He nodded. “Literally the hammer of Thor from the stories. None of us could lift it.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re back in New York all things considered. I’ve missed you.”

He gave her a smile. He really had too. He’d regretted intentionally leaving her behind for so long. He would’ve had sent as little as a letter if only for her to know he was alive but that wouldn’t be fair to her. Like Betty, like Rick, that would be pulling people he’d cared about into a situaiton they didn’t ask to be in.

“Do anything fun before coming to see me?” she asked. They’d started to walk in the direction of Stark Tower. He wasn’t sure if her apartment was close.

He hesitated before answering. “I saw Betty.”

She frowned. “How did it go?” Her tone was cautious, like she was scared if she wasn’t calm it would set out emotions in him.

“She’s engaged.” He was still getting used to the idea of that. His voice broke and he looked away from her. “I never expected for her to wait for me or anything but it still hurts.”

She squeezed his shoulder. “Don’t knock yourself up. You’ll find someone else too.”

He liked that thought. Even though he’d dated people before Betty, her main difference was that she teetered on him thinking of her as the love of his life. He wasn’t sure he was ever going to find anyone he’d loved or cared for as much as he had for Betty.

Even with all that considered, there was still the most pressing issue. “Would anyone really want to date a monster, Jen? Who would want to deal with that?” That thought was even harder to shake off when the word ‘monster’ would always bring the memories of his father’s words right before a slap across the face.

“You’re not a monster, Bruce.” She used her lawyer voice and if it weren’t for the circumstance he would’ve laughed.

“Fine, I turn into one. I can’t even have kids if I marry a woman, and I kind of really wanted kids.”

She raised a brow at him. “Wait, why not?”

“It’s in my blood. The gamma. I’d pass it on.”

She nodded. “Okay, I get that. I’m not going to pretend I know what this is like for you. Just keep that promise if I ever need blood you’ll give me some.” She nudged his arm with a smile.

He gave her a weak smile. He had trouble imaging there ever being a time she’d be that desperate for blood but the sentiment was still nice.

That’s all he could really take now, nice sentiments he was never sure he fully believed.

* * *

Tony’s lab was definitely way too big for one person. It was probably about three times the size of the one he used at Culver that he had to share with about ten people.

He’d initially awkwardly asked Tony if he could use it and he seemed surprised if anything that he’d asked.

Ever since he’d first entered the lab, he’d barely left. He’d reverted back into bad old habits. He’d always been a workaholic and finding news things to research was always a stability for him. Even if that lead to a lack of sleep and too much caffeine.

He heard the door open and didn’t bother to look up from his tablet. He opened his mouth, expecting to see Tony. He wanted to tell him about his recent research, especially since it was nice to have someone to talk about that kind of stuff with who understood him.

Except it wasn’t Tony. It was Thor.

He walked into the lab as if he’d done it a million times.

“Hello, Bruce. How are you this fine day?” he asked, giving him a smile.

He blinked at him. Even with him looking so human he almost glowed. He must’ve looked half dead compared to him with his unwashed lab coat and his glasses askew. Yet he looked at him as if he was the most important thing in the world.

“I’m okay. It’s boring stuff really,” he shrugged, giving him a weak smile. He wasn’t sure if his fatigue showed on his face easily.

Thor stepped closer. It was then he noticed he was holding two cups of coffee. “I was out in the city and Stark informed me you like this beverage. I thought you would like one.”

He smiled and took the cup he was handing out. “Thanks. Appreciate it.”

He took a sip of his own coffee. “I quite enjoy the taste. We don’t have this on Asgard. Definitely one of my personal favourite delights Midgard has to offer.”

“For me it’s less about the taste and more about how it makes me feel.” He took a sip of the bitter goodness. It wasn’t exactly tailored to his person taste but it was still welcome. “Did you need anything? I’m sure you have better things to do than see me.”

“No, I simply wanted to see you,” Thor said. He was still giving him that bright smile. As if he was the best thing he’d ever seen.

“Why?”

“Is it not obvious?” His smile faded. “I’m sorry, I thought I had made my intentions clear.”

Intentions? What the hell was he talking about? What kind of intentions could he be referring to?

Then it hit him.

“You’re interested in me? As in, romantically?” Saying the words aloud made him feel like some sort of fool. He was talking to a man who looked like he modelled for Kalvin Klein. Better yet, he was talking to a god. One who could do much better than him.

Even with his doubts, his words seemed to have brought back Thor’s smile. “I am definitely so.”

He swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. “I don’t know what kind of person you’ve built me up in your head to be but I don’t think you’ve got it right.”

Thor hadn’t seen the bad things he’d done. Maybe he’d gotten a glimpse but he hadn’t seen the full extent of destruction he could cause. Not the pain or the anguish. All he’d seen is ruble that came with some of the good.

Even with all the bad, he still somehow had the good in his life. Betty didn’t hate him even if she had moved on. Jen didn’t see him as some sort of monster. Rick still looked at him with bright eyes.

He wanted to look at relocating to New York as his chance to find happiness again. Whether or not that was going to happen was still up in the air. Maybe it was time to stop running from good things.

Thor stepped closer. Bruce was aware of nothing but how easy it would be to grab him and pull him closer. “I’d like to get to know you. I want to know everything about you.”

He could practically feel the heat of his body from where he stood. He stayed silent.

“I’m aware a standard midgard courtship custom is called a ‘date’. Would you like to go on one with me?”

He looked at Thor in the eye and it finally hit him how serious he was.

Thor wanted to go on a date with him.

Thor was interested in him in a romantic sense.

Thor was attracted to him.

Thor wasn’t scared of the Other Guy by any means.

He was almost perfect.

“I… Yes, I would like that. A lot, actually.”

Thor beamed and took his hand in his own and brought it to his lips. He gave his knuckle a gentle kiss. “The pleasure is mine, Bruce.” He gave his hand a squeeze before letting it go.

He almost passed out but he was able to muster up a smile.

* * *

Thor pulled him onto the roof as their first date. He’d brought a bottle of wine and laid out a picnic blanket.

Thor seemed kind of disappointed by the lack of stars caused by the light pollution. He didn’t let it ruin their date and he told him about the Nine Realms and the different planets and all the things humans still hadn’t discovered about the universe.

Bruce stayed silent, letting himself process the information. It went against so much of what he’d learnt when he got his astrophysics PhD and it would take a while to accept the information as fact. He could barely accept Thor’s own existence yet here he was holding his hand as they stared up at the stars.

The wine helped wind him down as he listened. There was something relaxing about his voice. Throughout the night, he shuffled closer and closer to him, not even realising it a lot of the time.

When Thor had finished his explanation, they’d already drank half the bottle of wine. All of Bruce’s anxieties had gone away.

He leaned closer to his face, close enough for their noses to brush.

Thor’s hand held him by his hip, steadying him. Bruce took his face in his hands.

They brushed their noses together against before they slowly brought their lips together in a soft kiss.

Thor pulled him onto his lap and held him in his arms. He was almost surprised by the certain amount of gentleness Thor showed.

He ran his fingers through Thor’s hair, shivering as Thor’s fingers found their way under his shirt and brushed up his spine.

He pulled away slightly, panting lightly against his skin.

“Want to take this somewhere else?” Bruce murmured against his skin.

Thor grinned up at him. “I would carry you there if you’d ask.”

* * *

Thor did not carry Bruce to his room. Bruce was tempted to let it happen but he really didn’t want to run in to anyone and have to explain what they were doing.

Bruce pushed Thor onto his bed when they finally made it after feeling like they’d been walking for years.

Thor looked like his own kind of gorgeous as he stared down at him. His hair fanned out around him and his blue eyes felt warm as they stared at him.

Thor was smiling up at him. “This is unexpected.”

He snorted. “It’s been a while, a little excited.”

Thor hands found their way into his hair. “No problem for me.” He pulled him down and kissed him with the same tenderness as on the roof. He felt like he was going to melt in his arms.

Soon enough, their clothes were on the floor and all Bruce could focus on was Thor’s hands, Thor’s abs, Thor’s lips, Thor’s entire body. He wanted to touch every inch of it before they left the bed.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when they were curled into each other on the bed.

Bruce was relaxed in his arms. They laid in a comfortable silence and he let any worries he still had melt away.

He had no idea where life way going to go. He was still trying to regain some sort of stability. He still felt weird about living off of Tony when he still barely knew him. He wasn’t sure where he could even go. Maybe Jen had a spare room if he was desperate.

Maybe the Other Guy ruined his life at first but now he seemed to be the reason he was going in a new direction, one that was better for him.

As he curled closer to Thor, he decided life was definitely going in the best direction for him.


End file.
